The Rabbit, The Arrow and Two Hearts
by riah alice drake
Summary: Two little leather pouches one blue and the other light dusty brown find there way into the hands of two star-crossed yet cursed young lovers. Will the contents of the pouches help their owners remember more of their shared pasts or will they just act like ironic symbols for their favorite stories of a blonde haired adventure and legendary archer?
1. The Rabbit

She wasn't really he jewelry type -apart from her collection of keepsake bracelets from her travels- but there was just something about it that made her want to wear it. It had been tucked away in one of the pockets of her backpack carefully wrapped and protected in a little blue swatch of blue leather catching like a little drawstring pouch. The thing that surprised her the most was that Margot didn't know how or where she'd picked it up, but she wasn't about to forgo wearing the thing inside just because she couldn't remember where or who had given it to her.

"Someone's happy." Her aunt Roni had joked when she'd come down to do the bar's inventory and caught the younger girl grinning like a fool as she looked at herself in the dirty back mirror behind the bar. "I found a little treasure that surprised even myself when I was unpacking the last of my stuff this morning." Her niece explained pushing the little ash wood hand carved white rabbit, and left half of what was possibly a heart charm hanging from the neckless under her shirt and out of sight from her intrigued aunt.

"Is this what that little treasure as you call it was wrapped in?" Margot nodded pushing her glasses farther up her nose as she resisted the want to snatch the little leather pouch out of her aunt's hand and hold it as close to her heart as she possibly could. But that was silly it was only a little gift bag from some dusty gift shop she'd forgotten she'd stopped in along her travels it was surely nothing to get so protective over.

"Reg…Roni…hey." Margot cocked her head at the hastily covered greeting her mother made just at the sight of her own daughter as she came down from their little shared apartment over the bar. "I thought you'd be sleeping longer after your long flight." Her mother covered pouring herself some cereal from the box at Margot's elbow as her daughter finished making a sandwich for later in the day and tucking it carefully into her backpack.

"You know I'm a light sleeper mom." The younger woman argued as she zipped up her bag after making sure she'd packed everything in her hast to get down to breakfast after she'd overslept, "A little snap of a twig could wake me up half the time." She didn't know what had made her use that comparison, but it just seemed right to her in the moment as she busied herself with finishing her breakfast without arousing any suspicion about how quickly she was wolfing it down.

"Roni…. What's that you've got?"

Margot's eyes snapped up at the surprised tone in her mother's voice when she'd noticed the little blue bag Roni was still holding. "Nothing." The younger woman answered snatching the smooth leather out of her aunt's hand from across the little kitchenet's table.

"Have you seen Jonzy anywhere?" Margot wondered by way of changing the subject as the last of her anxiety cooled the instant the well-worn fabric was back under her fingers while she talked between bits hurrying through the last of her breakfast and keeping the topic away from the necklace her mother was eyeing curiously as well as to keep her mother from asking her to hand over the little bag now tucked safely into Margot's coat pocket.

Although she was hazy on the details she knows she'd gotten the bunny when her younger self was hard set convinced she was going to grow up and fall in love with a pirate. Hence the name she'd given her furry prize from…was it a street fair? A claw machine? Yeah, that had to be it. She does remember something about a hook from her haze of any memories really before her backpacking trip in Peru. It's funny really, she jumped from wanting to marry a pirate to wanting to meet some blonde-haired adventuress…like Tilly maybe…. somewhere in Wonderland.

"Last I saw you'd packed her up with the rest of your things the day you left." Zelena answered although she honestly didn't know why her daughter was asking about a plush rabbit her cursed self knew her daughter hadn't talked about since she was really young.

Regina rolled her eyes as she pointed her niece toward the raggedy looking push that had been knocked onto the floor in her niece's haste to get the little blue clothe gift bag away from her grip.

Zelena and Regina exchanged look at the whispered familiar pirate like curses slipped passed the rushing woman's lips as soon as Margot's eyes had landed on the clock on the wall opposite them. "Late Late Late." Margot chanted as she tossed her favorite book, her childhood friend and the funny little sea blue leather pouch all into her backpack and pushed her chair back so quickly it toppled over in her hast.

"Hot date waiting?" Regina couldn't help but tease earning a lazy glare from her niece "No." Margot answered too fast for the other two to really believe her. Not that they would anyway with what they knew about the truth behind the gift that had just 'magically appeared' in the young woman's pack.

"I mean yes she is beautiful but no this is not a date we're just meeting for lunch and a chess game," Margot told them unconsciously pulling the little charms from under her shirt again as she checked her reflection one last time in the mirror. "Now if you'll excuse me I have to go meet a girl at a tower…I mean at a troll…...I mean never mind what I mean I'm late anyways." She admitted pushing the strap of her bag over her shoulder as she took off toward the back door at a dead run.

"She's just as protective of that has she was back home." Regina pointed out as she and her half-sister watched her leave. "Well can you really blame her she's young and in love even if she doesn't remember it." Zelena defended bringing her coffee cup to her lips for a long drink.

"What was it Alice always said? Follow the white rabbit?" the mother sighed while Regina just nodded in agreement clinking her own coffee mug with her half-sisters. "Let's just hope she does." Regina hummed draining the rest of her drink then getting back to work.


	2. The Arrow

God she really needed to find those pills before she went mad again and this time possibly hurt her trusted friend and now roommate rather than old Weaver. Rogers had even been kind enough to make her a welcome breakfast before he'd left. The thoughtfulness had surprised her, but it also felt incredibly familiar to her for some reason as the blonde sat at the little kitchen table sorting out the clutter in her backpack for that little orange bottle, so she could keep her promise to her papa…

There they were again those ideas messing with her head. But then again, they were the reason she had to find her meds, so she could keep her promise to Detective Rogers. But first, she was going to indulge in a little more madness at least for a little while longer.

"Hello there." Tilly greeted as if the little leather pouch that had toppled out of her backpack could talk back to her. "Where did you come from?" the curious blonde mused feeling a kind of warm tingling feeling running up her arm and making her heart beat just a little faster as she handled the little makeshift bag. She wondered if Rogers had gotten it for her but quickly decided against it. If he had then why hide it in her bag when he could have just given it to her over breakfast?

Giving up on trying to figure out how she'd come by the little gift Tilly soon wondered just what was in it. Just untying the cord and opening the little bag seemed like giving up with this new puzzle she'd been given. "How to solve an unsolvable problem." She whispered to the empty apartment. Her eyes fell on the book she'd 'barrowed' from Henry Mills and a mad idea started forming in her scattered mind. "What would Robin do?" she mused still searching until her eyes landed on the very thing.

"I'll tell you what Locksley. I'll make a bet with you." The girl announced to a little plush fox sitting on the kitchen table as if guarding the rest of Tilly's little treasures. She'd stolen the plush from an informant's house during one of her first jobs for Weaver and thus locking down her place within his ranks. Hunts the name she'd given her foxy little friend even if she had changed it a bit from just calling him 'Lock' to 'Locksley' once she'd found the book at Henry's place. She didn't know why she'd chosen the animal as her first souvenir really but something about its forest colored eyes had called out to her.

Now she really thought about it the fox had the same colored eyes as her rescuer Margot. The exact same color eyes as her mysterious traveler and savior who'd seen her when she'd thought she was completely invisible just in time to pull Tilly back from getting hit by that car.

"I hit the board I open it now. I miss the board and I wait to open it until later." The blonde bargained snapping herself out of her haze as she heads over to collect the darts from the board Rogers had set up on a far wall.

The dart flew wide, but it did manage to clip the very edge of the board before embedding itself in the wood of the door it was hanging from. "Two out of three." Tilly reasoned to the watching animal.

 _'What have I told you about timing it to your breathing Tower Girl.'_

A voice so much like Margot's teases in her ear as the disgruntled blonde took up another dart for her next throw. "We can't all be showoffs like you Nobin." Tilly growled in return her far away eyes fixed on the forest green ones of the silent fox.

"Two out of three." She whispered again to the now quieted whispering woman in her head thanks to her medication clearing her mind of all those other voices making her crazy as her hand closed around the smooth leather of her new curiosity her plush little friend was protecting. "Curiouser and Curiouser." Tilly mused holding up the curved shape of the arrow hanging beside the right side of a broken heart from a leather cord that matched the color of the pouch the necklace had been stashed in.

She wasn't able to ponder this new piece of her own personal puzzle of trading in a dart for an arrow due to a tentative knocking at the front door.

"Just a second." Tilly called out to whoever it was at the door as she paused in her triumph long enough to hang her prize around her neck then stop again to take two of her pills wanting to stop the pounding in her head making it harder to think let alone give her the clarity she needed to work the multiple locks on the front door.


	3. One Heart

"I would have met you at the troll it's just I lost track of time looking for my pills again." Tilly admitted unable to keep her heart from picking up a faster beat around the other young woman as the door swung open to find Margot leaning against the door frame. "I know but I wanted to see your new place…. for all I knew Rogers had you locked away in some tower."

That brought a shudder from the blonde at the unnerving sense of Deja vu at the scenario being described to her. "He wouldn't do that." She defended quickly as she closed the door once Margot had stepped past her into the little apartment. "I know that silly, but I just wanted to be sure you were alright." Tilly calmed at the soothing tone

"What's the deal with taking those anyway?" Margot wondered nodding to the bottle her friend was stashing back into her backpack as she closed the door after Tilly had let her in. "So, you're a little weirder than normal who cares?" he joked playfully nudging Tilly's arm. "Me." Margot's smile wavered a little at the honesty and the worry in her friend's tone as she accepts the bottle of water that was being offered to her.

They both decided to let the subject drop in favor of playing several games of chess and telling each other more stories of their lives only breaking for a lunch of shared sandwiches and splitting the one loan beer Tilly had found in the fridge over yet another game of chess that ended with Tilly losing dramatically only two of the five games they played and a sill giddy Margot agreeing to help Tilly clean up the remaining breakfast dishes after a narrowly won checkmate for her smug looking companion.

"Alright…Okay, Truce Truce Truce." Margot laughed trying in vain to dodge the water spirts Tilly was aiming at her instead of the playful swatting of water back and forth at one another as they washed the lone plate, fork and cup Tilly had used that morning as well as scrub out the skillet and other dishes Rogers had left soaking in the sink not knowing why or when she had locked her arms around Tilly's waist but now she was holding her up off the floor while her giggling friend still tried harder than ever to keep spraying her with water from the skins water hose.

"I win again." Tilly beamed shaking out her wet hair as the pair lost balance and fell back against the kitchen floor. "No, we're in a truce so technically you don't." Margot corrected as she caught her breath only vaguely remembering that her arms were still wrapped around Tilly's waist even with the self-described 'Crazy' woman didn't seem in too much of a hurry to get off of her. "Yes, I did, and you know it." Tilly countered tilting her head back to look at her friend with a wide proud smile across her lips

The pair stayed like that for a lot longer than they possibly should have given how little they really knew about each other and how new their friendship was but neither wanted to be the first to break the contact other than Margot letting Tilly go enough to let the blonde roll off of her, so she ended up cuddling against her side instead.

"What's that?" The question confused her for a second as Tilly was still enjoying the rush of completely happy feeling their little play fight as given her. "Oh…. just something that I didn't know I had until today." She admitted when she noticed Margot looking over at the little arrow charm around her neck.

"No, I meant what is that next to it smarty pants." Margot asked taking off her glasses in front of her for the first time since Tilly had met her to clean the water from them and to gesture at the other charm on Tilly's new necklace. "Oh that" the blonde shrugged as if it wasn't that big of a deal. "Seems I have myself a broken heart." Tilly sighed spinning the charm, so Margot could see it has her eyes found the forest green ones haunting her dreams.

"So, do I." her dream woman whispered to her the remaining water dripping from her hair forgotten in favor of pulling her own necklace out from under her shirt, so her friend could have a better view of the carefully shaped little rabbit but mostly to show the other half of Tilly's heart. "I've got yours and you have mine." The traveling life savior commented rolling onto her side to look at her better.

Tilly swallowed as her eyes flicked between Margot's and the second half of the heart she was guarding. She hadn't been ready for the galloping beat in her own heart those words had brought out of her "Perfect fit." She agreed as she closed the distance between where they lay side by side to bring the two halves together.

It was so strange they barely knew anything about each other and had really only met weeks ago yet they couldn't help but feel that they had to be around each other in some way. Gravitating back to each other when they were upset or just wanted to talk about their day and so Tilly could ask more questions about all the strange exotic places Margot's visited that she would never be able to go to.

Yet here they both are breathing in each other's air and both looking from the other's eyes to her lips and back again. Quietly asking permission as they both leaned in at the same time, testing the waters on if it was alright for what was about to happen.

"Tilly? Hey, Til?" Rogers voice called out from the little living room breaking the spell and making both women pull away from just the smallest brush of their lips in the start of a kiss. "Oh God what happened?" he pressed in deep concern when he saw the pair laying out on the kitchen floor still mostly covered in water. "I should have warned you about that tap." He sighed "It sprays like a fire hose at a moment's notice. I keep meaning to fix it, but I just never got around to doing it." The detective rambled making him miss the blushing cheeks of both the women now helping each other to her feet.

"Its fine Rogers," Tilly promised not that she was going to admit the purely innocent reason both she and Margot were still drying out as she kept a tight hold on Margot's hand as she pulled her along while she sped out of the kitchen. "This is Margot." She introduced grudgingly letting go of the hand she was holding to shove the little chessboard into her bag along with the other things that had spilled out of it in her earlier hunt. "We were just heading out." She summarized pulling the strap over her shoulder as she reached out wanting to hold Margot's hand again.

"Really? It's raining like Hades out there." the detective commented nodding to the window behind the sofa to the storming weather outside. Both Tilly and Rogers gaped in surprise at the almost sailor like curse their house guest let out as they watched the sheeting rain beat harder against the windows. "If you want you can stay here until the storm passes." He offered seeing the unease growing in the new aquatic's eyes no doubt thinking of how she was going to have to run back to the bar in that soon. "Any friend of Tilly's is a friend of mine. And with the way she goes on about you sometimes I can tell you. You are most definitely a friend." He smiled like he was a proud father rather than just Tilly's roommate earning an annoyed groan from Tilly at his oversharing.

"Thank you, sir." Margot nodded sharing a hopeful sideways glance with Tilly as her hand slipped back into hers behind the cover of the small kitchen island "I will but just for tonight." She tells them her eyes falling on the little arrow hanging around Tilly's neck then over to meet Roger's eyes once again just to be sure his offer was a real one.

Turns out it was.


	4. Two Hearts

_**Author Note: This part is meant to be a kind of dream mixed with reality scene. Yes, it might be hard to follow but this is the part where Alice/Tilly is remembering who she really is and what Robin/Margot really means to her.**_

 _ **(Alice/Tilly has a fear of thunderstorms and Robin/Margot is a real cuddle archer :) )**_

* * *

"What's this for." Alice mumbled opening one eye curiously at Robin's whispered 'Time to wake up Tower Girl' against her ear to find a little leather bag being suspended in front of her sleepy eyes. "It's for you silly." Robin laughed sliding in beside her resting true love keeping out the chilly morning air seeping into their shared tent."Ment what is it?" Alice grumbled pulling both the blanket and Robin's arms back over wanting to sleep just a little longer despite wanting to know what was in the little bag Robin was literally dangling right in front of her closed eyes.

"It's a present what's it look like?" Her archer laughed as a pair of cold lips were pressed against the back of Alice's neck making her both squeak in annoyance at the cold bit of them but melt at the kiss all the same. "Do you really not remember what today is?" Robin asked pouting against the dip of her neck as her arms snaked around Alice's waist holding her closer under their shared bedroll.

"Oh, so it's just an un-birthday present?" Alice wondered her eyes sparking in a mischievous kind of gleam as she pretended to have completely forgotten the real reason behind the gift. "Aaww love you shouldn't have."

"Is that some weird Wonderland thing?" Robin questioned nibbling along the shell of her ear "Sure let's go with that." Alice shrugged rolling over to face her girlfriend properly holding out her own little pouch in offering. "Like I'd forget something as important the year mark of the day you first held me at arrow point called me a spy while trapping me in that little wooden cage on top of wanting to hunt down my friend all of this on my birthday Nobin."

"Speaking of birthdays." Was groaned against her skin making it even harder for Alice to think let alone open the little gift Robin had brought for her.

"Lucky Arrow?" Alice asked as a joke.

"In a way yeah." Robing nodded twisting Alice's hair around the fingers of her free hand at the back of her neck while she cuddled closer to her protecting embrace at the muffled sounds of rain reached her ears despite the hazy calm of the forest outside the mouth of their tent "Seeing as it's the one I almost shot you with when I thought you were a spy." she explained once Alice's shaking fingers had pulled the drawstring enough to get the thing open. "Aunt Regina had to help me with the shrinking spell." The archer admitted her teeth digging into her lower lip from her nerves while Alice hadn't said a single word since pulling the trinket out.

Alice stalled any of her true love's panicked ramblings over her not liking it with a hard kiss in thanks. "Now you open yours." The blonde ordered leaving a hard bite in her archer's lower lip.

"I got you Tower Girl." Margot promised when a loud crash sounded from somewhere outside their tent opening her arms to the scared other woman as if Alice didn't already trust her completely to keep her safe while her strong arms slid under her legs as she stood up soothing the trembling blond's fear of being caught in yet another cursed storm with her steady heartbeat against Tilly's ear as she carried the giggling blonde with her out of the tent to the edge of the waking camp so they could watch the sunrise like they would every other day they were able.

"Open yours Nobin." Tilly pleaded wanting to see her green-eyed glasses wearing archer's reaction to her present before the rest of the camp woke up and pulled them apart for the day. "So, does this mean you'll be chasing me around more often?" Robin teased her warm forest colored eyes trained on the little rabbit hanging from the necklace's cord as it caught in the first rays of the morning.

"Possibly."

But no, hang on that wasn't right…. she and Robin weren't cuddling together at the edge of her Papa's camp watching the sunrise anymore.

It was darker than then the warm glow of the sun. The ominous storm clouds blacking out the sky over their heads as she and the love of her life stand nose to nose saying they're momentary not last goodbyes to one another before the curse stole the memories of their love from them.

"That way you have mine and I have yours no matter where we are." Robin reasoned helping her slide the other half of their shared yet broken heart around her neck. "Just another way for us to know each other even when we don't." she agreed trying not to completely break down as she pulled her love in tighter as the sound of the newly cast curse pounded against their ears as it closed in around them.

Tilly pulled away from their tearful hug to look one last time into those beautiful green eyes she loved so dearly now she didn't have to look past the glare from those glasses her love had to wear as the sounds of the oncoming curse grew even louder by the second.

It wasn't fair. She couldn't lose the other half of her heart to this storm like she'd lost her to the last one. She just couldn't.

"I'm not going anywhere ever again Tower Girl." Margot soothed when Alice tried to tell her as much. Robin's whispered voice was a welcomed calming anchor while the curse raged on around them. "I've got you." She promised when Tilly only cuddled closer to her little fox of a friend praying that tonight wasn't going to be the night she cuddled all of Locksley's stuffing out wading out the storm while she simultaneously snugged closer into the added warmth of the body spooned in against her back after that last cannon blast of a lightning strike.

Alice shook her clearing head in defiance staying curled up as close as she could to the woman still cuddled wrath like around her quivering form despite the other woman's haste to move away once she realized Alice was awake. "Hey, easy…deep breaths…. it's just a rainstorm Til it can't hurt you." Her love coxed rubbing little circles along her back as Alice's hand reached up to close around the arrow hanging around her neck letting her head fall against the crook of Margot's shoulder breathing in her signature woodsy and cinnamon mixed scent.

"Why do the storm here have to be so loud?" Alice complained not caring one bit that being curled up on the pullout sofa bed in the living room of Roger's apartment meant that she was closer to the window and really only a thin wall away from the raging rainstorm outside the building if she could spend the time cuddled up in her archer's arms. "Honestly they give the ones in Wonderland a run for their money." The realm jumper complained earning a low chuckle from her bedmate and the soft brush of lips against the top of her head. "It's like there's ten roaring Bandersnatch out there all fighting over a last scrap of meat."

"Well you would be the authority on those wouldn't you Tower Girl?" Robin teased as her companion repositioned the tear-stained fox she'd been holding like a lifeline over to the side table where she'd positioned Jonzy the bunny in favor of pulling her in closer. "but aside from having another world crushing heart ripping curse roll in on us this is just on the lighter side of tolerable over some of the storms we had to deal with at the farm." Robin countered as her hold tightened around Alice's shivering form then let out a shaky gasp once she'd realized what she'd had actually said.

"Alice?"

Tilly preened at hearing her real name coming from that voice again. "Nobin?" she answered playfully echoing Robin's nervous questioning tone as she pulled away, so she could peek up at her true love's wide unbelieving eyes. "Can we try that kis…." She started to ask only to find Robin's eager lips crashing down on her own.

"Seems like this really is a lucky arrow." Alice stammered when they had to grudgingly separate to breath. "Or you just really like chasing rabbits." Robin countered with a sly half-smile on her lips as she tucked a stray strand of hair behind Alice's ear and out of her eyes. "Nope, I'll take following you around any day than some random white rabbit." The blonde in her arms corrected threading her fingers through Robin's hair.

"Just shut up and kiss me again Tower Girl." The archer growled leaning into the touch with a hard glare.

"Whatever you say Nobin." Alice grinned just hoping her papa wasn't going to be getting up anytime soon and possibly walk in on the heavy make-out session about to happen right in the middle of his apartment.

And thankfully he didn't.


	5. Bonus: The Morning After

The only reason Alice agreed to move an inch let alone completely out of her lover's embrace was Robin's hasty purred warning of "Nooks going to be getting up soon." Not that Alice needed the reminder when she had heard the start of a muffled alarm herself somehow matching the steady beat of her true loves heartbeat under her ear as the reunited couple snuggled even closer together under the tangled rumpled sheets.

"Shower together? Papa's always sleeping in a bit longer after first light or in this case an alarm no matter what realm we're in." Alice offered not wanting to let her archer lover out of her sight even to let her shower by herself like they probably should, so if Rogers did wake up early he wouldn't figure out what they were up to during the night under the cover of that thunderstorm. "Saves on water and time too." Robin agreed letting Alice pull her up from the pullout couch bed. "But we'll have to hurry all the same." The young archer reminded nuzzling her face against the hollow of her lover's throat letting her arms sliding back around her waist from behind as she followed her realm jumper into her room for clothes, so they could dress right after they'd finished in the shower.

The shower wasn't as hurried as it should have been with more than a few stolen kisses and wandering hands until the trained hunter had to remind her shower mate about the other occupant in the little apartment.

"It's like we're back in camp at home isn't it?" Alice mused as they grudgingly got dressed again both of them raiding her curse self's wardrobe in record time even for them but that was mostly because they had to hold back from stealing any more playful kisses or remaking any of the love bites they had given the other the night before in favor of tracking down the rest of the clothes they'd blindly tossed around during their reunion.

"Funny thing is these are just window glass." Robin laughed as quietly as possible as she snagged her cursed self's glasses from the side table and holding them up in front of her eyes without actually putting them on just yet. "I can still see perfectly fine out of them." The archer explained when Alice didn't seem to understand the reference as they finished stashing their clothes in Tilly's room to wash later before walking hand in hand into the apartment's kitchen.

"I still can't believe I didn't put it together that it was you with them on. I mean it's so obvious to me now." Alice grumbled pushing herself up onto the counter while Robin started making the morning coffee for the still sleeping detective.

"Those definitely look better on you." Robin praised with a little laugh at seeing the love of her life wearing her glasses while feeling Alice's fingers toying with the charms on her necklace as they waited for the coffee to start brewing. "Does not Nobin." Alice laughed biting back a groan when she felt teeth biting down on her collarbone as Robin pushed her legs apart as her hands braced themselves on either side of her against the countertop trapping her in place.

"Breakfast?" the young archer inquired but Alice just gave her a lopsided smile shaking her head "I'm all well-fed thanks to you my love." She hummed loping her arms around Robin's neck pressing the lightest of kisses against her chapped lips. "Not that kind of breakfast Tower Girl." Alice's breathing hitched at the click of a door opening both women looking over to the shuffling steps of the still half-asleep man staggering from his room in the direction of the bathroom for a shower.

"Come on Alice," Robin whispered against her lover's hair knowing how hard this was going to be on her. "Let's make him a proper breakfast yeah?" she suggested unthinkingly reaching out to turn on the tap to get herself a quick glass of water only to be met with a low squeak of annoyance when a low-pressure jet of water soaked the back of her girlfriend's shirt instead.

"You did that on purpose." Alice challenged pulling Robin in closer by the little wooden rabbit she'd carved for her as her smug looking archer twirled the arrow around her neck between her fingers "Would I do something like that?" Robin questioned innocently biting her lower lip when Alice pulled her shirt off tossing it over Robin's shoulder leaving her in a plain yet still damp tank top. "Just for that, you fix that, and I'll fix Papa breakfast." Alice decides pushing her pouting archer away and slipping down to the floor without so much as a fast parting kiss like she'd normally would.

"Get to work Targo." Alice ordered when she noticed that Robin still hadn't moved from her place in front of the sink. "I would but see I need motivation for a job like this." Robin shot back rolling her eyes at her curse self's nickname. Her next snarky comment was cut off by insistent lips pressing hungrily against her own in a long greedy kiss as she was pulled in by the cord around her neck. "Motivated enough now Nobin?" Alice cooed against her lips breaking passed the lusty haze filing Robin's mind with the question. "Thy wish is my command my heart guarding almost runaway." Robin managed once she remembered how speech worked after a kiss like that one.

"Oh, and one more thing." Alice mused knowing Robin wasn't paying too close attention to her wondering hand given how dark her eyes were. "Yeah?" Robin coaxed her yelp of surprise bringing a smug grin from her girlfriend as the front of her borrowed shirt was splashed with water. "I love you Nobin." Alice smiled earning a hissed "I hate you." From Robin as she dropped to her knees to start on the sink.

Rogers made his way into the kitchen with a yawn following the promising smell of brewing coffee to find Tilly splitting her focus between tending to the still cooking food on the stove making something other than her normal toast and jam for breakfast and digging into the toolbox on the counter. Moving a little to his right while still keeping from letting them know he was there Rogers noticed that Margot was currently laid out on the kitchen floor under the sink taking the wrench that had just been passed down to her to the pipe over her head with what Rogers heard as a grunted "Thanks Tower Girl." Between hits.

"So, does that mean I'm forgiven?"

"Possibly."

Tilly just laughed at the answer enjoying how her love's voice betrayed her and Rogers noticed that despite her normally shy nature Tilly was now openly staring at the strip of Margot's exposed stomach when her shirt rode up as the other woman shifted into another position under the sink. "I can feel you staring."

"Well I can't help it I can't help but look." Tilly argued chuckling every so often at the grumbled curses coming from under the sink. "We don't want to burn down Roger's place, do we?" Margot reminded her moving back so Rogers guess that she could meet Tilly's eyes until his roommate nodded in defeat going back to humming tunelessly to herself as she turns back to the rest of the kitchen and gasped in surprise as her eyes fell on the supervising detective.

"What's all this for? Some kind of special occasion?" Rogers commented nodding to the plates of scrambled eggs, what looked like cookies with bits of that sugary marshmallow charmed cereal his house guest liked so much baked into them and Tilly's customary toast and jam all piled up on the small kitchen table.

"In a way." Tilly answered taking a few measured steps toward him as if testing something out while Margot crawled out from under the sink fixing her glasses back into place as she whipped her hands on a dish towel but her eyes never once leaving Tilly's back as if she were tensing to pull her back at the slightest hint of trouble.

"What's wrong Til?" Rogers questioned picking up on the fact that something had definitely changed since the night before. "Nothing." His roommate insisted still shuffling carefully toward him until the detective just sighed in annoyance pulling his stubborn friend in for a hug. One Tilly melted into gratefully "Missed you." He heard her whispered against his chest seeming to snuggle closer like a daughter would her real father.

"You just saw me yesterday afternoon love." Rogers chuckled but didn't drop his arms from the hug guess she just needed more comfort cause of the storm the night before. "Breakfast Detective?" Margot offered reminding them both that she was there and already loading up a plate for herself and for Tilly as she watched over the tender moment between the surrogate father and daughter pair. "Um…coffee and eggs I guess." He answered as he and Tilly untangled themselves to join her at the overloaded table.

"Thanks." He smiled when she handed his plate over to him as the detective pretended not to notice the fresh scratch marks peeking out from under Margot's long-sleeve shirt or that Tilly had what looked like a bite mark just under the collar of her shirt.

"Two hearts into one huh?" Killian questioned gesturing with a fork full of eggs to the two half charms of the young women's necklaces "Yes sir." Margot admitted as Tilly dipped her head in a shy nod in answer. "Then treat her right or you'll have me to answer to." The officer ordered in that strange fatherly tone he seemed to take on when talking about the blonde sitting between them as his eyes held Margot's. "On my father's honor, I swear I will do everything I can I keep her safe and happy." His new acquaintance vowed with nothing but honest determination in her voice.

"Alright then." Rogers nodded offering his empty glass over the table to her "Coffee ready?"


	6. No Magic No Memory

"I'm actually going to go help Margot at the bar today." Tilly answered to Rogers's question on how she was going to be spending the day while he was at work. "But we'll be over to keep you company on your lunch break Papa I promise." She added quickly seeing the hint of sadness in his eyes knowing that normally she'd ask to come to the station with him on her days off. "No lass it's alright." He smiled. Going by the look Margot was sending her the bartender was even more surprised by her words then Rogers had been, but Tilly had become quite interested in finishing up her pancakes to meet either of their eyes.

"Besides the bar is literally across the street so its not like she'll be so far away." Margot pointed out taking Alice's free hand under the table reassuringly. "Why do I get the feeling that I should be calling Roni and Kelly to warn them you two will be stopping by?" the cop laughed finishing off the last swig of coffee and reaching for a refill as the new couple already seemed to be in the middle of having a quiet conversation in just a glance. "What?" he wondered at the twin puzzled looks he was getting from the other two at the table. "I'm a detective ladies and as strange as it might seem I can at least pick up on when two people are thinking of hatching some kind of plan." He reminded them with a teasing smile leaning down to press a little kiss against the top of the blonde's head like it was a normal thing to do on his way to put his plate in the sink. "Just as long as its not about me and you promise to clear the table after your finished I'll allow you to keep plotting." He added shaking off the strange fatherly feeling he'd gotten from the action and grabbing the last slice of toast before heading back to his room to get ready for the day.

As soon as the door clicked closed Robin had Alice pulled over onto her lap smoothing her wild curls while the blonde hides fresh tears against the collar of her shirt. "I can hug him again." Alice whispered in a pained kind of wonder fisting her hands in the back of Robin's borrowed shirt to steady herself against her lover's lap, "I can hug him, and he doesn't even consciously remember who I am." Robin was at a complete loss on how to comfort her other than simply holding her "How is that even possible for me to hug him?"

For that at least Robin had a ready answer still rubbing comforting circles against her girlfriends back. "This realm doesn't have magic so the curse on his heart isn't erm isn't active I'd guess."

Alice hummed in acknowledgment pulling back to meet Robin's eyes "But if magic isn't here then how are we awake? How are you mom and aunt awake?" she wondered toying again with the rabbit handing around Robin's neck.

Robin shrugged at the question her jaw ticked in anger, but her hand didn't stop its calming movements against Alice's back "Want to help me go ask them and we can also walk Killian to work too." She offered dropping her voice to a whisper against Alice's ear when her hunting instincts heard the squeak of a door handle turning signaling the detecting pirates return.

"Like I would ever say no to having an adventure with you Nobin." Alice laughed now sitting the wrong way on Robin's lap, so she was essentially facing the kitchen while Robin was sitting facing toward the living room with her legs draped on either side of the archers and her arms wound around her lover's neck letting her fingers twist in the archer braided hair. "Even as Tilly, I'd still follow you anywhere." She pointed out pressing butterfly kisses against Robin's lips. "More like Margot would follow Tilly anywhere babe." The archer corrected biting teasingly at Alice's lower lip while she kissed her back making the blonde in her arms blush and look away.

"I mean it Tower Girl." Robin moved back tilting the blonde's face up, so they could hold each other's eyes. "everything Margot told Tilly about being there for bad days and for the good days and the whatever kind of days in between that is exactly how I feel with you and I love you no matter what kind of day."

"I feel the same way Nobin." Alice hummed against her lips before leaning in to capture them again.

Rogers cleared his throat loudly as he reentered the kitchen making the couple pull apart with only a soft grumble as they watched him pass back to the coffee maker now dressing in his normal back jeans and leather jacket. "I'm all for you two being in a relationship but don't you have to get to work West?" the detective questioned pointing with his mug toward Robin. A glance at the clock brought a groan from one and a soft giggle from the other as Alice slid from Robin lap stretching her arms over her head then holding them out to pull Robin out of her chair.

"Don't worry I'm sure Roni and Kelly will understand you being a few minutes late." He soothed unconsciously sliding his free arm around Alice's shoulders for another hug that the blonde melted into while Robin headed back into the living room to recheck she'd packed everything Margot had brought with her the day before to give the unknowing father and his newly awakened daughter some semblance of alone time.

"You seem happier." Rogers noted tossing the dish towel over his shoulder as he joined Tilly at the sink to help with the breakfast dishes. "I kind of feel like a whole new woman actually." The blonde answered making Rogers chuckle. "I'm just glad you happy Tils." He admitted nudging her shoulder good-naturedly while hey finished with the dishes in comfortable silence.

"Are you two ready to go?" Robin asked now standing in the dividing space between the kitchen and the living room with Tilly's backpack over one shoulder and Tilly's oversized army jacket over the other and a shy smile on her lips. Alice grinned wide at the sight skipping over to her side. "More than ready." She nodded sliding her hand into Robin's and holding the other out to her Papa.


	7. distractions & deflections

Regina was the first to notice something was up the second she looked up when the bell over the door sounded. Rogers was in the lead looking a strange mix of guilty and worried as he nodded in greeting to the bartender over the rim of his travel coffee cup with Margot and Tilly following their hands fisted together in a way that reminded the former villain all too well of their former lives as the couple finished off the last few bites of a candy apple Margot was twirling between her fingers just like Robin used to do with one of her arrows when she was trying to show off for Alice.

What had Regina doing a double take was when Tilly held the last apple slice between her lips with a rather challenging look in her eyes and Margot rather than being her shy self when it came to such a bold kind of PDA leaned right in to both bite the other end of the apple and pull the smirking blonde in for a rather hungry kiss in what was basically the middle of the filled bar. The action had Zelena batting away the misty start of tears in her eyes obviously thinking along the same lines as her sister despite her attempts in trying to play it off as dust in her eyes as she reached for an empty beer glass.

"I didn't think you drank detective." Regina pointed out when instead of finding a seat out on the floor Rogers took one of the empty stools at the end of the bar. "I don't." the officer answered pulling a half-filled bowl of peanuts toward him, "I'm just here in case." He added ominously as his eyes once again landed on Tilly and Margot. A glance at the clock showed that the detective should be on his way across the street to the station, yet he insisted on staying. That alone had Regina's hands twitching to the baseball bat she kept hidden under the bar.

Five minutes ticked by. Five whole minutes of Rogers munching on bar snacks, Margot and Tilly tag teaming in cleaning and busing tables and filling drinks without one word to either Regina or Zelena other than politely asking them to move out of the way on one or two occasions when one of the working women needed to reach for something on their other side behind the bar.

"Come on you your late." Tilly scolded ten seconds into minute six sliding her arm across Rogers's shoulder in that adorable friendly roommate way that reminded the awake pair all to well the real bond the two shared. Rogers just chuckled shaking his head as he let the bubbly blonde pull him up "Alright but I don't want to go just to get called back again." he joked looping his arm around Tilly's waist in a loose hug as they walked to the door.

"I'll keep her out of trouble detective I promise." Margot vowed resting the bin of dirty cups and saucer plates against her hip as she paused beside the exiting pair resting a hand against Tilly's arm with what seemed to the two bar owners as a reassuring and grounding kind of touch. Rogers debated for a half a second his eyes flickering between the two then over to Regina and her sister and back again before he spoke scratching at his chin with his prosthetic hand much like he would with his hook back in the Enchanted Forest. "I'm leaving her in your care lass." He decided at last with a flash of that fatherly half-smile of his.

Both Regina and Zelena were blinking back tears by this point not knowing from her turned position that Alice was as well as she hides her face against Rogers shoulder leaning more against her father's side as he and Robin shook hands. "I'll see you both at lunch." He reminded them with departing node to the two behind the bar "I'll be back soon." Alice promised in a soft shaking voice just before the door swung closed and she and Rogers set off down the sidewalk in front of the bar toward the station on the corner.

"Everything alright darling?" Zelena wondered finally managing to corner her daughter while Robin had been too distracted in tracking Alice's steps out of sight of the window to notice the closeness. Her hunting skills really had dulled in the two years she'd been running around the world as Margot she decided quietly as she let out a long sigh and sidestepped her mother not wanting to have the confrontation she knew would eventually happen right that moment. Taking a page from Margot's book Robin let her shoulders slouch and her head drop letting the glare from her glasses cover the annoyance in her eyes "Why would something be the matter?" she questioned with only a small bite of her upset in her voice as she pulled the dishcloth from her apron and started cleaning off the table just for something to do.

"Ro…Margot." Zelena sighed not noticing the effect the slip had on her now awakened daughter "Look we're slammed and I have to get back to work alright Mom." Robin growled thanking whoever was listening that just at that moment a new larger wave of customers pushed into the bar giving her an easy out as well as the return of her true love.

"Okay, Targo?" Alice asked skipping back over to her side but slowing once she picked up on her anger at once "yeah I'm fine Tils." Robin nodded with a small half smile at the adorable scowl Alice was sporting. "Want to make a game out of who can fill the most drinks?" she suggested knowing that from time to time when Tilly chose to spend her days off helping out around the bar their cursed selves would make little games out of things around the bar, so the suggestion wouldn't cause any suspicion from her mother or her aunt.

"Loser buys the apples." Alice grinned needing the distraction from the ache in her chest from having to leave her Papa when they could finally touch without him feeling the effects of the poison on his heart. "Take care of those for me?" Robin asked setting the full bin of cups and plates down at her mother's side as she took Alice's hand into her own tugging the blonde in against her side needing the reassurance in her presence.

Zelena nodded and they could see it in her eyes she as still puzzling over the changes in their behaviors making them leave quickly for the safety of the bar as Regina came up to her sister's side wearing the same confused expression.

"Something is different about them Regina." Zelena choked out her fingers digging into the side of the bin Robin had left behind on the table "I know but it's not like they could have woken up or anything cause Henry wouldn't be here." Regina pointed out nodding to the man who'd just slipped into the bar with a tired smile and an agreeing node for a stiff drink his cousin just offered him.


	8. Showing Off & Consequences

"Somethings different about you today." Henry commented setting his half-finished drink down on the bar top as he studied the woman behind the bar. "Nope same old me." Robin joked with a shrug unable to resist spinning one of the smaller liquor bottles in her hand then throwing it up letting it arc over her head to catch it effortlessly behind her back before she poured it out much to the amusement of several people sitting at the bar and Alice who'd just finished clearing another table close by. Alice only shook her head with a laugh and mouthing 'show off' to her making Robin grin back with a half-hearted shrug of her shoulders. Regina and Zelena didn't seem as enthused with the stunt but Robin knew that even as Margot she had always enjoyed pushing the rules just a little while she worked as the night's bartender and had gotten away with a lot worse with a lot pricier stock.

"You don't have to show off for her you know." Henry jumped in having noticed the exchange between the two goofy grinning women with an amused smirk on his lips. "That woman is already head over heels for you without needing to put innocent alcohol in danger just to see her smile."

"They aren't in danger…..Anymore." Robin added defensively at her cousins raised eyebrow look over the top of his glass. Henry scoffed finishing off the last of the water she'd switched him to with a teasing "Sure Westie" before getting up to go talk to Regina who was currently sitting across the bar at a back table doing what Robin assumed was looking over the books.

The rest of the morning passed quicker after that with Alice and Robin trading off time behind the bar to Zelena leaving the two of them free to wander between the tables.

"Come with me." Alice demanded in a low growl of a voice talking to low for anyone but the huntress to hear her.

"Baby what…" Robin started to ask taking care to keep her voice low but noticing the blatantly annoyed yet reserved glaze in her girlfriend's eyes while loyally following when Alice's hand closed around her wrist as the blonde pulled the curious archer passed the steady stream of rowdy customers into the back hallway. "What's wrong Alice?" Robin wondered trying to remember if anyone was in any way rude to her while they were working. But she came up empty as she was backed against the wall and safely behind the 'Employee's Only' sign on the swinging door with the blonde solidly in front of her.

Alice's only answer this time besides pressing a finger to Robin's lips and casting one last look at the well-distracted bar was to pull Robin in for the first in a series of heated kisses that soon started to build into something else.

"Do you realize how many women were drooling over you during that little show of yours?"

Robin blinked at the question trying to remember anything other than a jealous Alice pressed against her with the hand not holding her against the wall was currently under her shirt toying dangerously close to the zipper of her jeans. "If you remember…. they were already a little over-served" Robin had to stop talking amazed that she was this worked up this quickly as Alice's fingers continued their playfully calming screeches over her skin not caring in the slightest that they were just a wall and a half away from the world around them. "I only show off when I know you're watching." Robin finished knowing full well Alice could make her pay for that show of bravado if she really wanted to.

"I love you too my love." Alice murmured against her ear tracing the shell of it with her tongue "but Tilly's not that good at hiding her jealousy as I am." She mused affectively swallowing her pleading whimper at the loss of Alice's touch with more promising kisses. "You can't just work me up like this and not finish Tower Girl." The archer groaned not caring how dispirit she sounded even to her own ears over all the blood pounding in them.

"See I would Nobin, Really I would. But we have to get back to work before your mom or Regina comes looking for us." Alice smiled with a lingering kiss against Robin's lips having pulled her in by her necklace this time just for show reminding the dazed archer just who her father was with that cocky smug smile she was giving her as she backed away still flicking her tongue across her fingers as she did so.

"You're going to pay for this later." Robin vowed even when her words only succeeded in bringing another smugger smile to her lover's lips. "I'm counting on it love." Alice purred finishing in straightening both their clothes for them as they talked stealing another softer kiss. "Word is another storm is rolling in tonight and I'd just hate to sleep alone." She admitted in a pouting tone of voice.

"Everything alright?" Zelena interjected making the other two feel like they were back sneaking around Emerald Acers for some alone time.

"Of course, Mom." Robin answered her voice starchy, but she just prayed she wasn't as red as she felt she should be considering what her mother might have walked in on ten seconds earlier. "Just reminding Targo here that it's her lunch break otherwise she'll be on the floor all day." Alice saved with one of her trusting grins as she nodded over to the clock. "Actually, I was just about to head down when you came in." Robin bit her lip to keep from reacting too strongly to that comment pushing her glasses higher into place just for something to do as Alice sauntered away from her.

"Of course, say hi to Rogers for us won't you." Zelena agreed joining her daughter at the little table in the back room "Sure thing." Alice promised sending a teasing wink in Robin's direction as she headed to the back door picking up her backpack on her way out.


End file.
